Continuity mistake: At one point during "Hakuna Matata" Timon raises Pumbaa high into the air with a vine. As Simba watches from below, the sun casts a long shadow behind him. In the following shot, however, a shadow appears beneath him - as if the sun were located directly above. (00:45:30)
Continuity mistake: When walking through the jungle to find some grub with Simba and Timon during "Hakuna Matata", Pumbaa belches and says "I'm starved." But between shots, he disappears from Simba's left side. (00:46:00)
Continuity mistake: In one shot during "Hakuna Matata" Timon bites through half of a red and black bug, calling it piquant and pleasantly crunchy. He holds the other half in his left hand, and at first one of its hind legs is noticeably intact. But this hind leg suddenly vanishes as Timon is enjoying the flavor (it doesn't visibly fall off for instance - it simply disappears into thin air). (00:46:30)
Continuity mistake: When Timon collects a leaf full of insects and grub for Simba to enjoy, the leaf casts no shadow on the ground initially. However from the next angle it does. (00:46:45)
Continuity mistake: Right after Simba grows into an adult during "Hakuna Matata", Timon walks onto Pumbaa's head and stands directly above his eyes. But once everybody starts singing together in the following shot, Timon has changed position and is now standing behind Pumbaa's black mane instead. (00:47:20)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Pumbaa gets jammed beneath a large tree root while trying to avoid being eaten by Nala, Timon runs over and tries to dislodge him from behind. Before Simba appears out of nowhere to pounce on Nala, notice how there's a large weed growing near the root on Pumbaa's left side. But just several shots later when Timon starts cheering Simba on, the weed vanishes. (00:54:25)
Continuity mistake: After reuniting with Simba, one of Nala's paws changes its place on the ground between shots. When Simba denies being the king, he begins to walk off screen to the left. Here, Nala stands several feet away from Timon. But by the next shot one of her paws is suddenly inches behind Timon instead. (00:56:40)
Continuity mistake: When Timon starts singing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?", he and Pumbaa are watching Simba and Nala retreat from behind a moss covered log. But from one shot to the next, Pumbaa switches positions to the log's opposite side. (00:57:55)
Factual error: When Simba and Nala meet as adults, they rub heads and begin to purr. Lions can purr, but they only purr when they exhale, and Simba and Nala were purring when inhaling and exhaling, like house cats. (00:58:15)
Other mistake: During "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?", Simba's reflection in the water isn't very consistent - the rocks he's standing on are much closer to the water than they appear in the reflection. (00:58:45)
Continuity mistake: As Simba walks along a fallen tree by the waterfalls, Nala pleads with him to overthrow Scar and take his place as the rightful king of Pride Rock. But notice how his posture changes dramatically between shots. Right before Simba snaps back at Nala, his head is hung low enough to the ground so that his entire backbone is visible, but then it's suddenly lifted to an alert position in the following shot. (01:01:35)
Continuity mistake: As Rafiki leads Simba through the bushes to show that Mufasa is still alive, he sticks out his left hand and brings Simba to a halt. When the shots change, Rafiki can be seen holding his thumb in very different positions. (01:05:15)
Continuity mistake: When Simba creeps up to the water's edge expecting to see Mufasa, a ledge's reflection on his right side disappears between shots, only to get replaced by tall grass. (01:05:45)
Continuity mistake: When Timon is asleep on Pumbaa's belly, Nala approaches. From one shot to the next, Timon's arms are crossed differently. (01:08:35)
Continuity mistake: During Timon's hula dance diversion in front of the starving hyenas, Pumbaa sits on a pile of leaves with an apple at his side. As soon as their act is over, Timon and Pumbaa run away - but notice how the apple and leaves have suddenly vanished. (01:12:10)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Rafiki takes his stick and makes short work of several hyenas, he alternates from using one hand to hold the stick, then two, between shots. (01:16:55)
Continuity mistake: When Zazu is screaming to be let out from the ribcage prison, his wings are holding onto different ribs between shots. (01:17:10)
Continuity mistake: When Shenzi and Banzai have Timon and Zazu cornered, Banzai's left paw jumps from the cave floor to the top of the ribcage prison between frames. (01:17:15)
Continuity mistake: During Simba and Scar's showdown near the end, Simba gets smacked to the ground at one point. Upon landing, his right paw comes to rest beside his ear. One shot later, however, Simba's paw can't be seen near the ear where it's supposed to be. (01:19:35)
Continuity mistake: After we see a slow motion shot of Scar jumping through the wall of fire towards Simba, watch how Simba's teeth go from clenched to unclenched between shots as he hurls Scar over the cliff's edge. (01:19:40)
Chosen answer: Rafiki is a bit of a msytic or a shaman; a quasi-magical character. He was able to smell Simba on the wind that we followed from one to the other.
Phixius ★